The last two decades were the decades of knowledge, information, and inventions. The credit for all of these developments undoubtedly goes to academia. That’s why the academic sector always emphasizes the quality of knowledge. There is no room for poor information or unethical ways to produce knowledge because it is a matter of the whole world.

Out of all the unethical activities, plagiarism is considered a serious offense in this sector. Therefore, every student should try to avoid it if they want to save themselves from the consequences.

This article will explore why plagiarism is an offense and how students can avoid plagiarism in their academic assignments and thesis.

Let’s begin with the fundamental question!

Why is Plagiarism a Serious Offense?

There are multiple reasons behind that. One of them is already mentioned above. Now is the time to dive into the details. Here are some common reasons why it is unethical and illegal in academics.

It is a Kind of Theft

When scholars or students copy someone else’s words and claim them are their own, they actually steal others’ work. Stealing an intellectual or any other kind of property is a punishable sin. Intellectual property stealers try to get benefits but they don’t deserve them by stealing others’ words without giving them credit. 

There are different kinds of intellectual property theft that many people repeat. First, they copy an already published article, change the author’s name and submit it for publication. Those tricksters get caught by the publishers as they always check plagiarism with the best and most reliable plagiarism checker. The second form of theft is when the authors copy some portions, especially the literature review or results. Both parts usually take more time to complete, which students and scholars try to avoid. Therefore, they rely on others’ work. They can also be caught by universities or publishers. Lastly, some stealers only copy some sentences or paragraphs. It is bearable in some cases as the universities just highlight those portions and ask the authors to modify them or write those sentences in quotation marks and name the real author.

To keep people away from intellectual property stealing, the academic sector as a whole has put restrictions on plagiarism.

Plagiarism Discourages the Authors

In the academic sector, every word a student or a scholar writes has value, especially when it is going to be published in a journal. Once an article or book is published, it is considered a source of knowledge as they are more reliable than blogs, social media posts, and other forms of information. That’s why scholars have to be extra careful when writing a thesis. If copy the work of others, you don’t deserve any appreciation if you are not the real author of an article or a claim. The credit for that particular sentence or claim should directly go to the real author. It encourages them to work more in the field and produce more knowledge.

If they don’t get credit and someone else enjoys it, they get discouraged and don’t pen down the next articles. That’s why the academic sector has banned any form of intentional plagiarism. 

Demotivates Research

The whole structure of academia stands on the basis of research. If you take research out of academia, the entire building will fall. Imagine, for a while, students and scholars have left the habit of researching while writing thesis and research papers. What will happen now to the knowledge they are supposed to produce? It won’t provide any benefits to anyone. Instead, it could become harmful to everyone.

Research is essential for knowledge and enlightenment. It was important to close the doors for plagiarism to tackle the issue mentioned above. Otherwise, it could be dangerous for the whole society, especially for academia itself. Now the students are forced to spend their time in research and come up with genuine and factual results that are more valid and authentic. That’s why this sector is grooming day by day.

Affects Creativity

Students should also be creative in their work. College or university time is the actual time that helps students be creative, and during that period, their creativity is also appreciated by teachers and peer groups. However, when students realize that it isn’t necessary for them to always be creative and there are some other ways to get degrees, they leave putting in their own efforts and go for the shortcuts. It isn’t a big issue for students, but for the universities and colleges, it is a matter of their reputation and credibility. That’s why they don’t tolerate any kind of plagiarism and other unethical ways to pass the exams and assignments. 

Lead to Poor Quality Work

When students entirely rely on copying others’ work, they don’t read what is written in the research papers or books and in what context the authors have stated those things. They just copy-paste the material and submit them to universities and journals. Through this practice, they also generate low-quality work that is rejected everywhere. Even if they succeed in their motivations, they still don’t get anything.

With the help of plagiarized assignments, they can pass their universities, but when they enter professional life, they don’t change all of a sudden. They repeat that unethical activity which can lead them to generate low-quality work in their professional life as well. It is not harmful to the individuals but also to the institutions that awarded them with degrees. Academia doesn’t want to bear the burden of someone else’s mistakes. So, they declared plagiarism an offense that can have some severe consequences.

Consequences of Plagiarism

Below are some of the consequences of plagiarism in the academic sector;

  • It can lead to some heavy penalties
  • It can dull students and affect their creativity
  • It can also damage the career of students
  • It can badly impact the reputation of the students
  • Students can also have to face serious legal actions

After learning about the reasons why plagiarism is banned from academics and the consequences of plagiarism, now is the time to learn how students can avoid plagiarism. 

Tips to Avoid Plagiarism

As you have read the consequences of plagiarism, now you will not agree to copy the work of others. Here are the tips to avoid plagiarism. 

Don’t Copy anyone

Everyone knows when students will write the entire paper or assignment themselves, there are no chances of plagiarism. Even if accidental plagiarism occurs, it would be lower than the allowed limit. However, while writing a thesis or an assignment, students can be influenced by other writers who they like the most. They try to copy the style, tone, and phrases they commonly use. This practice can enhance the chances of plagiarism, so the students should always try to develop their tone and style that is also unique.

When students don’t copy others, the chances of accidental plagiarism also decrease. That’s why teachers and scholars advise students not to copy others so that they can develop their own style and learn to write.

Research Data from Multiple Sources

Another helpful tip to avoid plagiarism is getting helpful data from multiple sources. When you research from different sources, you are not influenced by one writing style, which automatically reduces the chances of unintentional plagiarism. Besides that, it can also enhance your knowledge and give you a grip on the topic. You won’t need to copy others’ data when you have a command on your subject.

Check Plagiarism Before Submitting your Work

Here comes the best tip to avoid plagiarism in your academic assignments. When you check plagiarism using the best plagiarism checker, it will underline or color the plagiarized parts of your work. That’s how you can quickly locate which parts of your assignment/paper are similar to already published or submitted content. Once you know them, you can modify and make them unique using your knowledge and writing skills.

You should use a  plagiarism checker for students as it is beneficial when it comes to checking for plagiarism, as these kinds of tools are designed for that particular purpose. Furthermore, a plagiarism detector uses AI (Artificial Intelligence), which makes the results more accurate and reliable. Therefore, you should only choose a plagiarism tool that has a good reputation in the academic sector.